MIDLAND – Classical guitarist Liona Boyd has captivated audiences around the globe; on Saturday, she will grace the stage at the Midland Cultural Centre.
The five-time Juno Award winner started playing after she received a guitar as a Christmas gift at the age of 13.
“I was totally in love with the instrument, and it’s taken me so many places,” she said, adding she never dreamed her “little hobby” would turn into a successful career that has seen her perform for the British royal family and several world leaders. “I gave up ballet for guitar, and I am very glad I did because ballet has a much shorter shelf life as a career.”
Boyd has performed with the likes of Yo Yo Ma and Georges Zamfir, and toured with such stars as Gordon Lightfoot and Tracy Chapman.
“I have been very blessed to have such a varied career,” said Boyd, who added singing to her repertoire three years ago. “I’d always been a songwriter, but never had confidence to sing, and now I love it.
“I am someone who believes being creative and trying to push yourself is very important. Once I started singing, you couldn’t stop me.”
The Toronto native, who recently returned to Canada after more than 20 years living south of the border, is releasing her 21st studio album, “The Return … to Canada With Love.” She told The Mirror the album, due out this spring, includes 14 songs inspired by Canada.
“The Midland audience will get a sneak peek,” she said, noting the album features a “cast of thousands,” including Olivia Newton John, Randy Bachman, Jann Arden, Divine Brown and even members of the Canadian hockey team that beat the Russians in the 1972 Summit Series.
“Who better to extol the virtues of Canada than me? I’ve played Flin Flon, the Arctic, Moose Factory, Whitehorse, fishing villages in Newfoundland, the prairies – I have seen all of Canada. I dated a prime minister for eight years. I know Canada like the back of my hand,” she said. “I’ve had so many great experiences here. I really have lived Canada (and), in a way, have been an unofficial musical ambassador to Canada.”
This show, hosted by Brookside Music at 7:30 p.m., will be her first in Midland.
“It is exciting for me to play a new place. I have played hundreds of thousands of places across Canada and done a mix of big cities and little towns. I am doing a major tour next year, so decided to do a shorter one of smaller communities,” she said.
“I am always excited to meet the people. I hope they bring their kids…. When I was 13, I was taken to a concert and it changed my whole life. There’s so much aggressive and overproduced music these days, and I still think there’s something very beautiful and simple about a guitar and voice.”
Tickets for main-floor seating are $45, while tickets for balcony seating and pre-concert reception with Boyd are priced at $65. Service charges apply. Tickets are available online at www.midlandculturalcentre.com or at the box office.
For more information, call 705-528-0521 or visit www.brooksidemusic.com or www.classicalguitar.com.